William Bernard Cantelou was the son of Louis Cantelou. William and his brother Peter Louis attended school in Augusta, GA. William then attended the Litchfield Law School with his brother. Aftewards, he returned to GA and became a captain in the GA Militia in 1818. After marrying Lucinda Martin, the couple lived in Augusta, GA for some time and eventually settled in Martintown, SC. They had thirteen children. William took over the family plantation from his brother in 1827 but later sold it in 1833 and moved his family to Lincoln County, GA. He owned a cotton plantation on the Savannah River and also owned a home in Lincolnton, that later became the Dozier Hotel. William was a prosperous planter and by 1850 his real estate was valued at $17,500 and he owned 36 slaves. In addition to being ...a landowner and planter, he was the founder of the Lincolnton Female Academy in 1836. He died in his family home. His widow, Lucinda, died there as well and they were both buried on the family plantation. [more][less]

The Citation of Attendance provides primary source documentation of the student’s attendance at the Litchfield Female Academy and/or the Litchfield Law School. If a citation is absent, the student is thought to have attended but currently lacks primary source confirmation.

Records for the schools were sporadic, especially in the formative years of both institutions. If instructors kept comprehensive records for the Litchfield Female Academy or the Litchfield Law School, they do not survive. Researchers and staff have identified students through letters, diaries, family histories and genealogies, and town histories as well as catalogues of students printed in various years. Art and needlework have provided further identification of Female Academy Students, and Litchfield County Bar records document a number of Law School students. The history of both schools and the identification of the students who attended them owe credit to the early 20th century research and documentation efforts of Emily Noyes Vanderpoel and Samuel Fisher, and the late 20th century research and documentation efforts of Lynne Templeton Brickley and the Litchfield Historical Society staff.

CITATION OF ATTENDANCE:

Catalogue of the Litchfield Law School (Hartford, CT: Press of Case, Tiffany and Company, 1849), 11.

Secondary Sources:

McLeod, Stephen A. The House of Cantelou & Co.: The Story of a Southern Family. Tallahasse, FL: Private Printing, 1995.

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